Ukraine's General Staff: Troops from Chechnya and Krasnodar Krai in Crimea

• 5.03.2014, 9:46

Servicemen from military units not belonging to the Russian Black Sea Fleet have arrived in Crimea.

The statement was released by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, gazeta.ua reports.

According to the statement, the 1st battalion “Vostok” of the 18th mechanised brigade, which has the permanent base in Kalinovskaya (the Chechen Republic), is deployed in Dzhankoy.

Servicemen of the 31st airborne brigade with the permanent base in Ulyanovsk (Russia) and the 22nd brigade spetsnaz brigade from Krasnodar Krai are in Crimea now.

“These actions by the Russian leadership directly violate both international and bilateral agreements between Ukraine and the Russian Federation,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine says.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin told a press conference yesterday that he didn't see the need to send Russian troops to Ukraine. He tried to assure journalists there were no Russian soldiers in Crimea.